Modular Football Training Tool With Alignment Notches
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Solution Overview
Problem
Football players training to become long snappers lack a modular, portable, and easy-to-use training tool that provides objective data to assist with positioning, motion, and muscle memory development.
Innovation Solution
A football training tool with an angled head, modular design, and alignment notches or cameras to guide foot and leg positioning, featuring sliding and rotatable components for customizable training, and the ability to measure and record optimal snapping positions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a training tool is made modular and portable, then ease of operation and adaptability improve, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The training tool is divided into modular components including an angled head assembly, body assembly, and bottom assembly that can be separately manufactured and assembled. Each assembly contains specific functional elements (alignment notches, cameras, rails) that can be independently adjusted or replaced, enabling customization while maintaining overall system manageability
Solution Approach 2:
The training tool incorporates multiple functional capabilities within a single device: alignment guidance through notches and cameras, positioning measurement through rails and markers, and rotational adjustment through connectors. This multi-functionality reduces the need for multiple separate training devices while providing comprehensive training capabilities
2Measurement precision
If alignment notches and cameras are added to guide positioning, then measurement precision improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Alignment notches are provided as intermediary reference features on the angled head and bottom assemblies, creating visual and physical guides for proper positioning. These notches serve as mediators between the trainer and the training tool, establishing precise alignment without requiring complex active sensing or control systems
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes visual contrast and optical features through cameras and alignment notches that create detectable differences in position and orientation. The camera system captures visual information that can be processed to determine precise positioning, leveraging optical properties rather than requiring complex mechanical measurement systems
3Adaptability or versatility
If sliding and rotatable components are included for customization, then adaptability improves, but reliability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The training tool incorporates sliding connectors and rotatable joints that allow dynamic adjustment of component positions and orientations during training sessions. These dynamic elements enable customization of training parameters while maintaining secure mechanical connections through friction-fit and threaded fastening mechanisms that ensure stability during use
Solution Approach 2:
The sliding and rotatable components are designed with self-locking or friction-based retention mechanisms that maintain adjusted positions without requiring additional fastening operations. The mechanical design allows users to easily adjust and lock positions through simple manual operations, ensuring both adaptability and reliability
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the present invention are related to a football training tool with an angled head, a rectangular frustum body, a pair of upper lateral rails, a pair of bottom lateral rails and a bottom. The upper later rails, defined as arms, include foot angle guides. The football training tool may also include a top alignment notch on its head and a bottom alignment notch on its bottom.